The first time I told someone I was going to WWOOF their
response was “are you barking at me?” If
you’re not familiar with it, it does sound strange. WWOOF is an acronym for ‘Worldwide
Opportunities on Organic Farms’. It’s a
network of farmers and volunteers all over the world on all different kinds of
organic farms. It’s a perfect solution
for anyone looking for an opportunity to volunteer, to learn about farming, to
travel cheaply, or to have an experience outside of the typical resort
vacation.
I had never heard of WWOOF. The only thing I knew was that
Eric and I wanted to commit ourselves to something totally new and we wanted to
learn all we could about coffee. We figured, the best way to achieve this was
to go directly to the source. After reaching out to a friend, WWOOF sounded
like the perfect way to get there. Considering our grand plan for the next few
months, Hawaii sounded like the perfect coffee origin to start our expedition.
Emails were sent to every Kona coffee farmer in the WWOOF network and we began to put together a plan.
This plan was going to be life changing and tough…we knew
that from the beginning. First off, besides flying to Las Vegas to elope (no
big deal), Eric and I had never really travelled together. We were both so busy
trying to build our careers that in the past four years a three-hour drive from
Boston to upstate New York was a big trip. Second, we actually were really
happy with our jobs. And third, we were trading our nice cushy lifestyle to do
manual labor for free. That being said, it was actually a pretty easy decision.
Within a month we made arrangements with three different
farmers, put in our notice at work, booked one-way flights to Kona, HI, broke
the news to our family and friends, moved out of Boston and packed up all of
our belongings in a 10X10 storage unit.
We were pretty damn motivated. For as long as Eric and I
have known each other, we have had an itch to do something else, to leave the
pack and go out on our own. Once we realized that there might never be a
perfect time to pursue our passion, we knew it was the perfect time to go.
I have a copy of your first writing as a child. Knowing all along you had good thoughts,writing became second nature. You won a DARE writing contest many years ago, just from memory...I see your face. Always the best to you and Eric..
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